Al Basile – B’s Testimony: Lucky Man, Don’t Kid Yourself Baby, If All It Took Was Wishing, I Got a Right to be Lonesome, I’m Bad That Way, Up Close and Personal Best, One Day at a Time, When the Girl Says Yes, I Oughta Be Your Monkey, It’s Your Pain, Through Thick and Thin, Would I Do That to You? He Said, She Said
Al Basile – B’s Testimony Personnel: The Band: Al Basile: vocals, cornet & horn arrangements, Shy Perry: vocals (One Day at a Time), Kid Anderson: guitars, Mark Teixeira: drums, Bruce Bears: keyboards, Doug James: tenor sax, Jeff "Doc" Chanonhouse: trumpet
Al Basile produced and wrote allsongs on B’s Testimony and released it on his Sweetspot Records label.
Al Basile
photo by Megan Sepe
Singer, songwriter, multi-talented and multi-nominated Bluesman Al Basile has created a lasting legacy of his music throughout his long career, and Luxury Experience has had the pleasure of listening to, and reviewing, many of his releases including: Last Hand, The Goods, Al Basile – Soul Blue 7, Al Basile – The Tinge, and Al Basile – Groovin’ in the Mood Room. With Al, one thing is always consistent on every release, and that is his dedication to the Blues, to his listeners, and to delivering the musical goods and creating a memorable release.
Interesting to note about Al Basile is that he grew up in Haverhill, Massachusetts, graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and received a master’s degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He is a New Englander through and through and you can hear his Massachusetts accent as he sings his original songs. The consummate songwriter, the release includes a booklet with the lyrics for listeners to fully appreciate his depth, his style, his wisdom, and his humor.
The release opens with Lucky Man, and right of the box you realize that indeed he is a lucky man with this up-tempo catchy song with lots of punch. The band takes it nice and slow on Don’t Kid Yourself Baby with Kid Anderson laying down a stellar guitar intro with interesting riffs throughout. Mark Teixeira’s drums provide a deft intro to the fast paced If All It Took Was Wishing, with exceptional blazing horns that add the right spice to a song that really cooks.
The band downshifts and segues into the lament, I Got a Right to be Lonesome with its haunting horns. Next on the playlist is I’m Bad That Way, with Kid Anderson working magic on the guitar and Al Basile interweaving his cornet with lyrics that make you sit up and take notice "…I’m bad that way… I made a promise, but it don’t mean a thing…"
Up Close and Personal Best has a great instrumental opening that kicks the song into high gear with sensational horns. One Day at a Time features Shy Perry’s amazing vocals on this slow and sultry song. The band picks up the pace and the tempo on When the Girl Says Yes.
I Oughta Be Your Monkey is jump blues that is just so fine. The band segues into the slow groove on It’s Your Pain, with some stellar guitar work by Kid Anderson and great horns. Next on the playlist is Through Thick and Thin, with more great lyrics by Al Basile, opening with "Are you as sweet as you look, or just another bad dream?"
The band transitions into Would I Do That to You? which is deliciously solid with great lyrics and instrumentals and is a real treat to listen to. The release closes with He Said, She Said, which has a powerful drum and guitar intro that gives this song its pizzaz.
Follow Al Basile:
Facebook: @albasile66
Instagram: @albasile66
Websites where you can purchase Al Basile – B’s Testimony: Al Basile – Store, Amazon, Blues Music Store
For more information about Al Basile, his recordings, or upcoming performances, please visit his website at www.albasile.com
Follow Luxury Experience on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LuxuryExperience to see photos and videos.
Follow Luxury Experience on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/LuxuryPair @luxurypair
Follow Luxury Experience on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/luxurypair @luxurypair
© August 2021. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.
